Tuesday, August 7, 2012

How fitting that as the Olympic games begin to wind down and the torch is prepared to move on to the next great city, we too are preparing to pass Terry's Walk onto the Melanoma Foundation of New England. This will be the last year Rayanne, my Dad and I will organize Terry's Walk. It was a decision not easily made but one that took time, love and tears to reach. It has been an amazing journey and we will continue down the path of fighting cancer with the Melanoma Foundation. It is hard to let the walk go, but it is just as hard to re-live my mom's passing every year. It was a wonderful tool to help us overcome our grief. It provided us a power over cancer. Now, five years later it still gives us that power but in a way re-opens the wounds; something my mom would never want for us. There comes a time when you realize you don't need to hold on to the sadness to feel connected to a lost loved one. You need to embrace the day, feel the peace of their memories in your heart, and know they are watching your life from the best seat in the house.

Having gotten that out of the way.... This walk has been an amazing opportunity for us to gather as family and friends. It is a time to remember not only my mom but others who have lost their battle with melanoma. As a family we feel so privileged to watch the outpouring of support, kindness, love and dedication to the walk over the last five years. We are truly thankful! So please join us one last time in my mom's name to celebrate YOU! To celebrate the time, energy, blood, sweat and tears that YOU, our family and friends (new and old), have put in over the last five years.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Last year was The Bitter End was a great addition to the day and I am thrilled to announce they are volunteering their time, energy and talent to help make this another great year!

The Bitter End is a three-piece cover band formed by three long time friends and well seasoned musicians. Individually and collectively, they have been playing in clubs along the South Shore for 20+ years. For five years they have been playing clubs and bars, two to three times a month. Their abilities are rock & roll covers spanning from bands like Aerosmith to Weezer as well as mixing in great classic songs from The Commitments and Eric Clapton to some of today’s top 40 hits by Neon Trees & Green Day.

The Bitter End is comprised of Paul Talkowski on Guitar and Vocals and is influenced by guitar greats such as Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and Stevie Ray Vaughn just to name a few. Greg Harrington on Bass Guitar, Keyboards and Vocals, grew up and mastered his skills by listening to bands like Rush and The Beatles. Dennis Cadorette finishes the line-up on the Drums and Vocals, where at a young age he was drawn into the drums by bands like The Osmonds, KISS & Van Halen.

Together these three musicians make up one of the South Shore’s premier cover bands. With a never ending pursuit to perfect their craft as a band and make each show better than the last.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

With less than a month to go I had a whole page written about my mom (Terry). All about her birthday (Sept. 18 - one month from today), her courage in facing her own death and the strength she had given us all... but it didn't seem fitting. It wasn't something she would want. So instead I am writing about the out pouring of support we are getting for the walk.
First, we have received some great raffle prizes already! The kindness of one man whom I reached out to for help has single-handedly gotten us 2 tickets for The Capt. John Boats, 2 two-ticket packs for the Cape Cod Scenic Railway, an overnight at the Hampton Inn in Plymouth, 2 tickets for Plymouth Plantation, and 2 tickets for the Island Queen Ferry! We also have a Dustin Pedroia signed baseball, an overnight package at the Parsonage Inn in Orleans, a gift card to Mashpee Commons and there are still prizes pouring in because of the good will of friends and family!

Second, there are a great fundraisers hard at work for Terry's Walk already! Take a minute to check out the donation page, and if the spirit moves you, support one of these great people who are working towards the common goal of setting the sun on melanoma.

I have said this before and I will say it again, this walk is not just for my mom, it is for everyone. She was never one to stand in the spot light, and it is still true in her death. She would want the survivors to stand center stage, the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones to melanoma to get up and share their story, those who have supported the walk through sunshine and rain to get the standing ovation, but most importantly she would want to make everyone feel welcome. This is an event that should be filled with more laughter than tears and end with more friends than strangers.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Yes, you! Anyone who has supported, participated, volunteered, or shared info about Terry’s Walk has saved lives. The walk is not only a memorial to my mom; it is an educational event about melanoma. The money raised from the walk supports a seminar (Diagnosis and Treatment of Early Melanoma and Non-melanoma Skin Cancer: Practical Pearls for the Primary Care Provider at Harvard Medical School) dedicated to training primary care doctors and other healthcare professionals on how to spot melanoma at its earliest stages. Melanoma is CURABLE 90% of the time when caught early, and the best way for it to be caught early is through a primary care physician especially if for those who don’t regularly see a dermatologist. The hard part of our focus is there is little opportunity to see the wide scale effects. Most likely we aren’t going to get a letter telling us how a doctor identified a melanoma, removed it, and treated it, therefore saving them. That person may not know their doctor attended this seminar, or even how that seminar came about. But as fate would have it, a friend recently shared her story with my dad. She had gone to her doctor for a normal physical. During the exam the doctor noticed a mole on her back. The doctor commented that he had attended a seminar on melanoma and skin cancer, and felt her mole should be removed. The doctor removed it and upon biopsy it was determined to be melanoma. This woman asked about the seminar… It was at Harvard Medical School early last spring… it was the seminar that YOU all helped create! Terry’s Walk 2011 is your hero’s parade! Be part of the hero’s parade on September 17, 2011.You need to know you are a hero; you are making a difference and YOU HAVED SAVED LIVES!!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

At the end of the day we had raised over $11,000 for the fight against melanoma!!!

But let’s start at the beginning of the day…. By 9:30 Saturday morning the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal walkway was buzzing with activity. Cadets from Massachusetts Maritime Academy came in great force to set up tables, move chairs, hang signs and carry coolers. As more family and friends arrived we were presented with raffle prizes, food for pot luck and hands offering to help. By 1:30 participants were arriving, raffle tickets were flying and in the background the band started playing.

The crowd grew to just under 200 people as we prepared for the walk. Kathy Bowers, a dermatologist and the daughter of close family friend of Terry, spoke about the importance of sun protection and education about melanoma. Jim, Terry’s loving husband, reminded everyone of the love and life she shared with so many. Thank-you’s were made and raffle prizes were awarded. The walk began by Joe O’Neill leading the way with his bagpipe. During the walk you could hear stories of Terry being passed along, stories of other struck with cancer, and stories of those who survived. Laughter prevailed in the end as the troops were welcomed back to a party tent full of food, music, and newly made friends.

As the sun sank lower in the sky and the crowds headed home, I realized that I failed to mention a key component of the day – the band – The Bitter End! When all was said and done, and the sun was setting on melanoma, the band was there… until The Bitter End.

It is not the act of one person who makes this day happen, it is the work of many. Thank you to all who made the day possible!

2 - HOPI KACHINA DOLLS - HOPI KACHINA DOLLS, (ALSO KNOWN AS TITHU) ARE PEDAGOGICAL OBJECTS MADE OF COTTONWOOD THAT EMBODY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CEREMONIAL KACHINA, THE MASKED SPIRITS OF THE HOPI INDIAN TRIBE. ACCORDING TO THE HOPI, KACHINA DOLLS ARE OBJECTS MEANT TO BE TREASURED AND STUDIED, AND ARE NOT TO BE CONSIDERED IDOLS OF WORSHIP OR CHILDREN’S TOYS. -FRANK & MARY ANN DEMELLO

Friday, June 4, 2010

The registration and donation pages are up and running for Terry’s Walk 2010! It is never too early to register and start fundraising! This is the best time of year to stop and think about skin cancer, as the summer days approach don’t forget to wear your sunscreen, hats and sunglasses! We are making a difference through education and leading the way by example!

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Directions

From the South - Take I-95 North to Providence, RI. Take I-195 East to Route 25 East. Take the second Buzzards Bay Exit (Exit 3, right before the Bourne Bridge), follow rotary around and exit on to Main St. Buzzards Bay. Directions continued below.*From the West - Take I-84 to I-90 East (Massachusetts Turnpike). Take I-495 South to Route 25 East. Take the second Buzzards Bay Exit (Exit 3, right before the Bourne Bridge), follow rotary around and exit on to Main St. Buzzards Bay. Directions continued below.*From the North I-93/3 - Take I-93 South to Route 3 South to Route 6 West (just before the Sagamore Bridge) towards Buzzards Bay. Follow Route 6 for about 4 miles, continue under the Bourne Bridge into the rotary, follow rotary around and exit onto Main St., Buzzards Bay. Directions continued below.*From the North 24/495 - Take Route 24 South to 495 South to Route 25 East. Take the second Buzzards Bay Exit (Exit 3, right before the Bourne Bridge), follow rotary around and exit on to Main St. Buzzards Bay. Directions continued below.*

*Follow Main Street in Buzzards Bay for approx. 1mi, make a left at the Town Green just before the set of lights. You will see the gazebo, look for large white registration tent.